Imaginary Brother
by Ahoshi Lambo
Summary: This is the sequel to "All My Fault". I suggest you read that first before this or the end of that story will be completely ruined. I am rating this one M instead of T...just to be safe XD
1. Chapter 1

**This is the sequel to "All My Fault"**

**The day after submitting that story on here, I came up with the idea for this and just had to write it. I'm not sure how well this came out, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Please read and review so I know what you think c:**

**By the way, just as a note, anything in italics is in Mikey's head. No one else can hear it but him and it's not really happening.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in any way, shape, or form(even though I wish that I did)**

* * *

It's late.. Or actually early in the morning to be more precise.

The young sea green turtle is ready for bed, back in his room and laying down to get some rest.

He closes his eyes, trying to sleep when all of the sudden, something or someone stops him..

"_Mikey_..."

"Hmm...I'm sleeping..come back later.."

"_Mikey, get up. It's me_.." A familiar voice sounds, Michelangelo groaning as his eyes slowly flutter open. "R-Raphie?" He says, sitting up in his bed, his blue orbs taking in his surroundings. There...in the corner of his bedroom, stands Raphael, looking as good as new. It's as if he never died at all..

"_Yeah...I knew ya couldn' forget me dat easily.. I have somethin' I need ya ta do fer me.. If ya follow what I say, we'll be together again_.."

"Of course, Raph..I'll do anything for you..anything.. Just tell me what to do."

* * *

One month has gone by since Michelangelo stopped wearing the red bandana around his own head.

He travels through the sewer tunnels every now and then to see his deceased brother's shrine, or at least he used to. He recently stopped going and this is around the same time that the sea green turtle began to act more like his old self again. At first, he was still depressed, continuing to sleep in Raph's room, on the bed with the covers pulled up close to his face to take in the other's scent. Over time, as he progressed, he went back to his own room.

Mikey is now back to wearing his orange bandana. His weapon of choice, the Nunchucks, are keeping a special place on his belt where Raphael's Sais once were. Everyone seems to be doing okay...at least as okay as to be expected with the circumstances of losing a loved one.

The three other members of the Hamato family are setting the kitchen table, ready to start breakfast when Donatello leaves the area to retrieve the youngest sibling.

As he made it to Mikey's door, the purple clad turtle notices something a bit odd. He can hear his little brother's voice, though he is not simply talking as if Raphael can hear him from above. He seems to be having a conversation with someone, but his voice is the only thing that can be heard.

"I know, dude...I missed you too. It hasn't been the same without you." Michelangelo says, his voice only barely above being audible. Don gets closer to the door, pressing his ear slit against it.

"Haha that's not nice! I don't think I did that horrible of a job being you.. I mean...I got the accent right, didn't I?" He inquires, the sound of him laughing following a short pause.

Donatello shakes his head, a perplexed expression on his face as he knocks on the hinged barrier. "Mikey, time to eat!"

"Oh yes, I am starving! Be right there, Donnie-boy!" Michelangelo replies, as chipper as always as he quickly opens the door to his room, rushing past his older brother to get to the kitchen and eat.

Donatello smiles in amusement, following behind the smaller form in toe. He ends up taking the spot to the right of him at the table. Upon lowering himself to sit down, Mikey shouts, startling the whole family.

"You can't sit there!" He yells at Don, the turtle in purple shooting up from the chair before his bottom even makes contact with it. "Why, what's wrong?" Donnie inquires, looking down to make sure nobody tampered with the seat. "Everything looks intact."

"Raphie is sitting there..." Mikey replies, looking over at the empty seat beside him. "It's okay, dude...I think he just forgot that you always used to sit there. Don't be mad."

Leonardo, Donatello, and even Splinter stare at Michelangelo in awe. Did he just say Raphie? "My son..." The wise rat begins. "Are you feeling well?"

"Me? Yeah!" Mikey replies, bringing both of his hands up behind his neck to rest his head against them. "I haven't felt this great in a long time! Our family is whole again. It's what I've been hoping for since the attack! Anyway, what is for breakfast this morning, master Splinter?"

The others blink in confusion, Splinter clearing his throat, deciding that this cannot be too harmful.

It's most likely just a phase and Michelangelo will be better by the end of the month. "I have prepared bacon and eggs for all of you." The wise rat says, beginning to set a plate down in front of each of his sons.

"Sounds good. I promise I'll start cooking again soon so you don't have to." Mikey replies, seeing that Splinter did not give "Raphael" anything to eat.

"What about Raph?" He asks, Splinter's eyes widening in realization. "I'm sorry, my son..I did not make enough."

"That's okay." The turtle in orange tells his father, getting up from his chair. "I'll get an extra plate out and just share with him."

While Mikey is getting the plate, Leonardo leans forward in his seat, whispering to his mentor. "Sensei...shouldn't we tell him that Raphael isn't with us anymore?"

Splinter shakes his head, keeping his voice down as well. "No, Leonardo.. He is simply going through a stage. Allow him to cope in his own way for now. If it gets too out of hand, I will take care of it."

* * *

As the day past by, Michelangelo did a lot with the imaginary brother. He even played video games with him, not getting much of a result in the end.

That night, the siblings went on patrol. They were not going far, just making sure that the gangs in New York City weren't causing any havoc.

Mikey runs off ahead of the other two, laughing as he plays around with "Raphael".

"Haha...same as always, huh Raph?" He laughs, hopping forward and jumping a few inches to the left as if someone tried to grab him. "You're too slow to catch me~"

"Mikey, don't go too far ahead!" Leonardo orders, his mind very alert as he notices a disturbance inside a nearby bank. "It's the Purple Dragons! They're robbing that bank!"

"Not for long!" The orange banded turtle calls out, running to the edge of the building and jumping off, sliding down the side.

"Mikey!" Leo calls out, concern and a bit of anger lacing his voice. "What? Raph jumped off first! I was just following him." Mikey replies honestly, seriously believing that Raph is back. This is not a game to him..something is seriously wrong.

"_This is da end ya Purple Dragon Scum! Surrenda an' maybe yer moms can still look at yer ugly mugs when we're done_." Mikey hears Raph say, laughing at the statement.

"Haha...good one, Raphie. Wow, I have really missed how you talk to the bad guys." He replies, the Purple Dragon members looking amongst one another, one of them shrugging in confusion by watching the turtle talk to himself.

There are about six gang members in the bank, nothing the brothers cannot handle. The three of them split up, four according to the youngest mutant.

Each brother has two Purple Dragon members on them. At least, that's how it was supposed to go. To the orange clad turtle, Raphael was fighting, so he excused himself to walk around the inside of the bank and get all of the employees outside to safety.

While his back was turned, the two left came at him from behind. One had a spiked club in his hand, the other a steel chain, both raising the weapons up over their heads to land a fatal blow. Luckily, Leonardo had defeated his share of the enemy, disposing of them right away and tying them up with the chain to be found by the police later.

"What the shell were you thinking?!" Leonardo shouts at Michelangelo after all of the Purple Dragons were defeated. They had left the bank, now back up on one of the rooftops. "You could have gotten yourself killed in there!"

"What are you talking about, Leo? Raph was there. He woluld have had my back like always and besides, someone had to help the innoce-"

"Do you even hear yourself?!" Leonardo continues, Donatello trying to speak up and stop him, but his words go unnoticed. "Raphael is gone! He died, remember? He is never coming back and you no longer have him to watch out for you! You need to start taking care of yourself, Mikey because I can't take it anymore!"

At this point, Mikey's blue eyes fill up with tears. Why is Leo being so cruel to him? He doesn't understand! "You're lying! R-Raph is back and just because you cannot see him doesn't make it any less true!" The orange clad turtle says, running off ahead of the others, jumping from rooftop to rooftop to make it back to their lair.

"Michelangelo, wait!" Leo calls out, going after him until Donnie's hand lands on his shoulder. Leo looks back, the smartest sibling shaking his head. "Let him go.. He needs some time to cool off right now.."

* * *

Back inside the sewers, Mikey is running through the tunnels, crying as he makes his way back to his home.

Splinter is there close to the entrance, sensing that something is very wrong.

When Mikey comes back, the wise rat approaches, but is unable to do a thing. "Michelangelo, my son, what is troubling you?" He asks, getting no response as his youngest boy hurries by him, going to his room and slamming the door behind him.

Michelangelo shoves everything off of his desk, drawing books and tablets that he writes his feelings in falling to the floor with a thud.

Attached to the desk is a mirror. He looks in it at his reflection, reaching his left arm up to the back of his head as he unties his mask, taking it off. His eyes are red and puffy from crying and from not getting enough sleep recently. He feels like he is going crazy, outside of his own body looking in. He feels so numb anymore.

"_Leonardo still hasn' taken that big stick outta his ass, huh_?" Raphael says to Mikey, appearing behind the sea green turtle on his bed.

Mikey sees his brother show up in the mirror, turning to face him now so that they are looking at each other. "Is what Leo said true?"

"What do ya mean?"

"Are you in my head right now? Am I just losing my mind?!"

"_Dat's nonsense, Mikey.. Ya can see me..ya can feel me_.." Raph says, getting off the bed now and approaching Mikey, one three-fingered hand coming up to touch the other's face.

He's right..Mikey can actually feel him. The youngest wouldn't imagine that, right? He can't make himself feel someone touching his skin..can he?

Michelangelo nods, the young turtle no longer crying. "You're right..I can feel that..I just need to get the others to believe me too. I need them to see you."

"_Don' botha.. They'll neva understand how ya feel...an' besides, I don't need them_." Raphael says, placing his hands on Mikey's shoulders and turning him back around to face the mirror again. "_I only need ya..no one else. I need ya ta come ta me_.."

"What do you mean?" Mikey asks as he looks at their reflections.

"_I mean dat I cannot stay here fer long.. I'll have ta go soon because I don' belong in this world anymore, but I'm lonely, Mikey...so very lonely_.."

"How can I help you? I-I don't want you to disappear again.."

"_I want my little brotha back. I need ya to leave them. Leave them and come ta me.. They don' appreciate ya anyway.. Not like I do.. Do this fer me..an' we'll neva be apart again_."

"Promise...?" The orange clad turtle asks, biting into his lower lip.

"_Promise_.." Raphael replies, a smile now forming on Mikey's face. Finally...he and Raph never have to separate again..

"Okay..."

* * *

**To be continued!**

**I'm not sure when, but I'll continue after I come up with something to do for the next chapter XD**

**I'll try to update "Who is he now?" first, though. **

**Anyway, like always, please review! Please, please, please XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2! I hope I did a good/decent job with it.**

**Barely anyone read my stories so far. I really need to find some way to get them out there. I tried posting on Facebook, but yeah, that didn't blow over all that well XD**

**Anyway, like always, enjoy and please review after you read~**

**I feed off of your reviews. Must have sustenance...O.o**

* * *

The sea green turtle is sitting down on his bedroom floor, holding the tiny blade of a pencil sharpener in his hand. The pencil sharpener had broken a few days earlier, so he unscrewed everything and took the blade out, having used the tiny piece of metal to cut himself a few times already.

He holds the blade to the skin on his right arm, applying only a small amount of pressure as he slides the blade across rather quickly, making long but shallow cuts.

Mikey sighs, taking in the pain. It has started feeling good to him. It stings and burns, but he thinks it's better than feeling numb. Than feeling absolutely nothing at all..

_"What are ya doin'?_" Raphael asks, appearing behind the orange clad turtle. _"I told ya ta come ta me.. Dat means kill yerself, not make little cuts up and down yer arm.. Here's a bit of advice.. Move down lower...ta yer wrist. Place da blade ova da vein an' cut der...you'll bleed out in a matta of minutes."_

"Where have you been?!" Mikey inquires, getting up from his sitting position and facing the voice inside of his own head. "You've been gone for a whole week! Why do you keep leaving me?!"

"_I told ya already, Mikey...I can't stay here much longa.. I'm gettin' ya ready for da unavoidable.. Unless of course ya listen ta me an' kill yerself.."_

"I'm working myself up to that.." Michelangelo sighs, looking down at his right arm which is still dripping blood from his freshly made cuts.

_"Den what's takin' ya so long?"_

"I don't want to make a huge mess for the others to clean up when they find me.. I've only been doing this because YOU keep leaving me and I have no other way to deal with the loneliness! You can't do that to me, I need you!" Mikey tells him, desperation lacing his voice.

_"An' I need ya too, kid.." _Raph replies, placing a hand on the other's shoulder._ "So...yer not goin' ta slit yer wrists den?"_

"No." Mikey replies, placing the tiny blade down on a nearby drawer. "Donnie has trouble sleeping at times.. He has pills in the bathroom. If I can get them without looking suspicious, I'll overdose and kill myself like that.."

_"Why don' ya jus' ask 'em fer dem?"_

"Because..he's too smart for that.. I know he's onto me. He doesn't know what I'm doing, but he's always asking me if I'm okay and if he can help me, so if I asked for the pills, he would want to monitor me and make sure I took the right dose.."

_"Hmm...someone is gettin' smart on me, huh?"_

"Haha well...I definitely can't go by what you say, can I?" Michelangelo teases, placing his hands on his hips as he grins at his "brother".

_"Yeah yeah...yer so damn funny dat I forgot ta laugh.."_

* * *

Michelangelo had cleaned the small blade and his wounds, moving the pad around his elbow down just a bit to cover where the cuts are. To have it not look suspicious, he does the same on the opposite side, having it be even.

The sea green turtle knows he has to act natural and go about his day like he normally would, so he soon leaves his sanctuary, sliding down the railing on the stairs and landing in the living room, ready to start his day off with some much needed relaxation playing video games.

"What would you like to play?" Mikey inquires, turning to "Raphael" who is now sitting beside him on the couch in front of the large television the family owns.

The only reply the orange clad turtle receives is a shake of the head.

"Oh, yeah...the others think I stopped seeing you so it wouldn't be good to talk to you while out here.. Donnie!" Mikey calls out, trying to get the attention of his smartest sibling who comes out of his laboratory almost instantly. Since Mikey had said he stopped seeing their deceased sibling, Donatello has been on his shell everyday, making sure he is doing all right.

"Yes, Mikey? Do you need me for something?" The purple clad turtle asks, approaching his younger brother with a look of concern on his face.

Michelangelo nods, smiling cheerfully. "Yep! Would you like to play a video game with me?"

Donatello releases a sigh of relief, glad that it's a video game and not something troubling. He'll help Mikey in any way that he can, but he just wants the youngest to feel better again.

"Of course, little brother.. What game do you have in mind?" Donnie asks, sitting beside him.

"Left 4 Dead!" Mikey calls out, the other shaking his head in amusement. "Why did I even ask?"

The sea green turtle stands and gets his Xbox 360 ready, slipping in the first Left 4 Dead game before sitting back on the couch, handing Donatello one of the controllers. The youngest always used to play this game with Raphael, but Donnie is getting up there, improving with practice.

The game gets off to a good start, Mikey playing the part of Zoey since he says she's a "babe" and Donnie taking Louis. Raphael would of course always choose Francis, a character that is much like he was.

The two go through their favorite maps, fighting off all of the zombies and the hoards that happen to start for one reason or another, but then, at the end of one of the hoards, loud noises could be heard from inside the game. It sounds like something is coming. Something large.

Next, a vehicle is thrown at the characters, everyone standing their ground and shooting as the Tank runs toward them. The Tank is a very large special infected zombie with one of the most extensive physical mutations. This mutation is abnormally increased muscle mass.

Its increased muscle mass can mostly be seen in the Tank's arms, this resulting in it running like a gorilla, on it's knuckles.

Normally, when the Tank comes, Mikey would get scared and begin to run away, leaving everyone else to fight without him, but now, he goes for a Molotov, throwing it at the large beast in order to light it on fire and weaken it.

"Raphael" speaks up, feeling like he has to comment on the youngest turtle's sudden bravery. _"Not runnin' away like a wimp dis time, I see."_

"Of course not!" Mikey snaps, looking over at the empty spot on the sofa. "I'm not going to back away from anything anymore. I'll face it all head on!"

"Mikey!" Donatello says, drawing the sea green turtle's attention over to him. "Are you okay? You're not talking to Raph again, are you?"

"What? Haha...no way, bro.." Mikey replies, nervously scratching the back of his neck. "I um...I thought you said something to me about running away."

"But I'm sitting here and you were looking over there."

"Uhh... Well, I...I-"

"There you are, Michelangelo." Splinter says, entering into the living room, smiling at his sons. "It is nice to see you and Donatello together."

"You missed morning practice again...and breakfast." Leonardo says, walking in after the wise rat, following not too far behind him. They appear to have been meditating together. "You going to join us tonight?"

"Yes, of course! Speaking of tonight.." Mikey pauses, glancing around the room at his family. "I'm going to cook dinner later. I bet you all missed my awesome skills in the kitchen, huh? I sure did smell a lot of burnt food while I was getting over a few problems.. Leo.." The orange clad turtle finishes, giving his eldest brother a playful smirk.

"Hey...I didn't do 'that' bad. At least I didn't blow anything up this time." Leo replies, Mikey getting up from his spot on the couch. "Ah...that's enough video games for now. My hands are starting to hurt. Thanks, Donnie. I really appreciate you playing with me, dude." He looks at his smartest sibling, cracking his knuckles. Donatello looks confused, not sure why Mikey would want to get away so soon when they just started playing. Something is definitely up with him but Donnie cannot put his finger on it just yet...

* * *

Michelangelo finished setting the table, the plates laden with food.

He made meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, and garlic biscuits.

As he is placing a glass for everyone next to their plate, his imaginary brother appears behind him. _"Food looks great. Definitely outdid yerself dis time."_

"I crushed up laxatives and put them inside the food...all but my own."

_"Why would ya do dat?"_

"Classic Mikey prank...and I haven't played one in quite some time. It'll just prove that I am feeling better and hopefully get Donatello off of my shell. The game did not work...thanks to 'someone'."

_"Hey...not my fault ya couldn' ignore me. He was sittin' right der. Of course ya looked like a nut."_

The sea green turtle rolls his eyes as he laughs, soon calling out to everyone to get into the kitchen. "Leo, Donnie, master Splinter! Dinner is ready! Come eat before it all starts getting cold!"

"Finally." Donatello says as he comes out of his lab, darting his tongue across his lips. "I've been waiting. Your food always smells so good!"

"Can't argue with you there." Leonardo agrees, leaving the dojo as Splinter joins the family shortly after, placing a paw on Mikey's shoulder. "Great to have you cooking again, my son."

Soon, everyone filled their glasses up. They took a spot at the table and all began to eat. The laxatives are fast acting, but not fast enough to hit them after their first few bites. By the time they're done eating, that's when the laxatives will take effect.

The sea green turtle glances around at the other three, watching them finish up their last bit of food. Leonardo is the first to get done. "That was a shell of a good meal. Thanks, little brother." The leader says, taking the last sip of his drink.

"Couldn't have said it better mys-" Donatello begins, pausing when he feels an uncomfortable rumbling in his stomach.

Right away, he knows what it means. Michelangelo used to do this in the past. So much so, that Donnie did not trust his food, but he didn't think it would happen now. "Mikey...you didn't, did you?" He asks, placing a three-fingered hand on his lower plastron.

"What are you talking about Don-" Leo said, now placing a hand in the same spot. "Laxatives..." He continues, glaring at his youngest sibling before getting up and hurrying to the bathroom first. "He's back to normal!"

Donnie and Splinter soon follow, waiting for their turn. The wise rat shakes his head in disapproval. "I cannot believe you got me too."

Michelangelo cannot help but laugh. 'It worked!' He thought, glancing over at "Raphael".

_"Nice goin', kid. Ya even got Fearless ta buy it."_

"Yeah.. He said it..he said I'm back to normal. Maybe they will be so angry with me now that they won't even miss me.."

_"Yeah...dat's good.. It means der less likely ta actually come ta check on ya lata."_

* * *

A few hours later, Leo, Don, and Splinter all began to feel better, their stomachs no longer rumbling.

Donnie is in his lab, working on one of his newest inventions when he starts to laugh. He can't believe it, but he actually missed that side of his little brother. It's refreshing to see him having fun and playing pranks again. Raphael would be happy. He must be happy..or at least the purple clad turtle thinks he is.

Out of no where, Donnie stops laughing when he feels a pressure on the desk he's working at. It feels like someone hit it, but that's not possible..

_"Check da bathroom.." _Donatello hears someone say. He looks around, no one else having entered into his laboratory. _"Check da bathroom...inside da cabinet.." _He hears again. Is that Raphael? Not the fake Raphael that Mikey created before, but the real one? _  
_

As if on cue, Don leaves his lab, headed to the bathroom. He doesn't know why, but he has a very bad feeling now. Why would Raph be contacting him?

When he arrives at the bathroom, Donatello opens up the cabinet he keeps his pills in. They were there last night, but now...they're gone!

He's the only one that uses them. No one else would touch them and if they needed help sleeping, they could just say something. "Oh god...MIKEY!" The smartest brother shouts, hurrying to Mikey's room.

He can't believe he didn't see it before! Mikey is hurting himself.. He was acting strange, talking to himself again and then at dinner...the laxatives were just to cover up what he was doing.. "Please don't let me be too late.."

* * *

Inside of Mikey's room, the sea green turtle sits next to the door, leaning against his dresser.

The bottle of pills rolls out of his hand, onto the floor. The contents of it are gone. The bottle is completely empty. Mikey had taken what was left. About forty pills. Give or take.

That was about thirty minutes ago. He had just been sitting there, staring off into space and waiting..

"Mikey!" The youngest turtle hears, someone pounding on the other end of his door. Mikey ignores it, the knob soon turning, but he had locked the hinged barrier, so it wont budge.

_"It won't be long now.." _Raphael says, looming down at the other from above him.

"Yeah..." Michelangelo responds, his eyes slowly beginning to close. He is so tired...and sick to his stomach too, but that's to be expected. He can feel it. He's dying..his heartbeat getting slower and slower by the minute.

"We'll soon be together forever..."

* * *

**To be continued!**

**Ah...how I love cliffhangers XD**

**Not when I'm reading something with a cliffhanger, just when I'm writing it because I already know what happens next XD**

**Anyway, don't worry if the part with the real Raph confused you, it'll make more sense in the next chapter. I am going to write it in his point of view and it'll start with him getting wounded and dying. **


	3. Chapter 3

**So this won't be confusing, I will tell you all now.**

**This chapter is about the past for the most part. It's in Raphael's point of view and starts up where he dies being held by Mikey.**

**Like always, please enjoy and review after you read. I really love to see your opinions c:**

* * *

My legs moved on their own, goin' fasta than even I thought possible.

I saw red an' I rushed toward Karai an' my baby brotha, destroyin' whateva Foot ninja decided ta get in my way! I didn' care what happened ta me...but there was no way I was allowin' Mikey ta die!

I would ratha go in his place than have anythin' happen ta him..

Next thing I knew, I was standin' between Karai an' Mikey, a sharp pain goin' through my shell, all the way out my plastron.

I saw my little brotha, his eyes wide with fear as he called out "Raph, no!"

I looked down at myself, seein' Karai's blade stickin' outta my chest.. It had impaled me...goin' right through. She must have used a lot of force ta do that.

Karai pulled da blade from my body, blood beginnin' ta trickle outta my mouth as I fell.

I felt Mikey holdin' me. His one hand behind my head, da otha on my damaged shell as he lowered me ta his lap.

He was cryin' now, his orange mask damp with his tears, but that wasn' da only thing that bothered me.. Karai...that damn witch was laughin' at us!

All of her Foot ninja were deceased, so she retreated, sayin' that she did what she wanted ta do for now..

Leo an' Don approached us at that time, but Mikey wasn' payin' attention ta them. He was jus' lookin' at me, holdin' one of my hands close ta his plastron as he squeezed it, rockin' me back an' forth.

"Y-Ya okay...kid?" I asked him. Crazy, I know.. I was da one bleedin' out an' yet I had ta make sure he was all right. "Stupid.. Why did you do that?" Mikey whispered as more tears fell from his eyes, falling on top of my emerald skin. His tears felt warm...maybe because I was so cold at da time.

"Please hang on, Raph..there's still time.. We can bring you back home and Donnie will fix you right up.." Mikey said, looking up at my smartest sibling expectantly, but even I knew Don couldn' fix me..it was too late.

"Mikey...I'm sorry..." I told him, strugglin' ta even shake my head from side ta side. I had ta make him understand. "I won't make it...D-Don can't save me..."

"Don't say that!" Mikey raised his voice, unable ta believe it. "Donnie can fix anything! He's a genius...s-so he has to...he has to try!"

"No..kid..please listen.." I said, now hearin' my two olda brothas begin to cry. Even Leo was cryin'...

"I can't stay with ya...I-I want ta...but I'm tired an' cold... Everythin' is gettin' dark.."

"That has never stopped you before!" Mikey continued as he held me closer to his body, my blood all over him now. "You're the strongest... You can fight anything, so fight this! Don't leave me...don't leave us!"

I shook my head again, strugglin' ta take in air.. I couldn' breathe an' my vision was goin' by da second. I knew that was it. It was my time ta go.

"I'm...sorry..." I said ta him as my eyes started ta close. "I-I love ya...all of ya...rememba that...an' stay strong..for me..."

I took in my last breath...my heart slowin' down an' then comin' ta a stop... I was gone.

I began ta lift outta my own body...my spirit risin' up. I could still see my brothas at this time, Leo and Donnie tryin' ta calm Mikey down an' get him away from me, but he wouldn' let go. He was holdin' on for dear life. "Stop it, get away!" Mikey screamed, still rockin' back an' forth, neva lookin' away from my lifeless form.

"Come back! Please, Raphie...I need you! Please, come back! RAPH!" Mikey buried his face in da crook of my neck, my heart broken at da sight, but what happened next hurt me even more. Donnie put his hand on my baby brotha's shoulda. The result was not good.

"Don't touch me!" Mikey yelled at him. He looked up, his eyes filled with pain an' fiery. He was pissed an' needed someone ta take this out on. "You couldn't save him! You didn't even bother! If you're not smart enough to make Raphael live again, then what good are you?!"

"Don't you dare!" Leonardo raised his voice, his hands balled into fists at his side. He wasn' havin' this. "I know it hurts, Mikey... We're all upset right now that Raphael is gone, but this is not Donatello's fault! You heard what Raph said, Don couldn't save him! He can't bring the dead back to life!"

"D-Dead..." My baby brotha choked out. He looked down at me once again, his tears no longa flowin'. No...a new look was in his eyes at that moment.. He looked...soulless..

"You're right, Leo... It's not Donnie's fault... It's mine.. I was weak... If I had fought better...I could have stopped Karai on my own..but instead, I froze up.. I was scared and now...now Raphie is gone... He's gone because of me..."

* * *

I only planned on stayin' with my family for a week or two. I knew da rules...I needed ta move on, but I was there with them for ova two months. I was always around, watchin' ova them from above.

I think they noticed my presence at times...at least some of them did. Masta Splinta would sometimes talk ta me while meditatin'. He would tell me how everyone was doin' even if he didn' hear me reply. Leo an' Donnie showed that they recognized me sometimes too, not knowin' it was me, but they would look in my direction when I said or did somethin' like they could sense me.

Then, there was Mikey... He was completely gone. He wasn' my baby brotha anymore. Instead, he was tryin' ta be someone he wasn'. He was tryin' ta be me.. It started five days after my family lost me..

"Stupid!" I heard Mikey shout. I appeared in his room only ta see him throw his comic books an' action figures off of his dressa. Everythin' landed on da floor with a thud.

"You're nothing but a liability! No one needs you and you know it's your fault that Raph is dead!" Mikey looked in da mirra attached ta his dressa, givin' himself da most hateful look I have eva seen. Mikey should neva look like that...eva.. It jus' aint right.

"I hate you! You should have died instead!"

"Come on, Mikey...don' do this ta yerself.. It wasn't your fault.." I tried ta tell him as he goes ta punch da mirra an' distort his reflection.

He stopped, simply lookin' at himself instead. Did I get through ta him?

"That's it! I don't have to be me anymore! No one needs me. Not like they need Raph.."

No such luck... The next thing I saw, was Mikey openin' up one of the drawers on his dressa an' pullin' out my mask.

I couldn' believe he was still holdin' onta that! He reached up behind himself, takin' his own mask off an' puttin' mine on.

"Red really isn' yer color, kid." I said ta him, grinnin' at da back of his shell. "Da brightness of da orange goes well with yer teal skin tone. Now ya jus' look weird."

Again, my baby brotha didn' hear me. He jus' smiled, noddin' his head. "Much betta.." He said, gettin' up an' leavin' da room as I stood there feelin' useless..

* * *

Afta da two months went by, I thought things were startin' ta look up.

Mikey finally took my mask off, placin' it an' my weapons at da shrine where they belonged.

Like before, I decided ta wait a week or two ta watch ova da kid. Leo an' Donnie were fine an' Mikey began ta "act" like his old self again too.

That's all it was, though. An act..

Durin' da day, he would tell jokes like he used ta an' he would play video games with Donnie when da brainiac had da chance, but at night was when I got ta see how my baby brotha was really feelin'.

He would lock da door ta his room, da lights off as he curled up on his bed, his face pressed against his knees as he cried.

He continued ta cry like that until he fell asleep an' then his body was wracked with nightmares.

He would call out ta me, screamin' my name because I would always be da one ta come ta him when he had a bad dream.

I rememba reachin' out ta him, tryin' ta place my hand on his cheek, but my hand instead went right through him.. I couldn' help him..

"Raphie!" Mikey screamed as he woke up, salty tears streamin' down his face as he looked around da room. I was right in front of him, dammit!

"Mikey...I'm here.." I said, cooin' ta him in a soothin' manner. "Please look at me...I'm here for ya.. I neva left..."

He appeared ta be lookin' at me, but he wasn'. He was actually lookin' through me. Shortly afta, Mikey let out an angry howl, turnin' slightly ta the left an' punchin' a nearby wall. He made a hole in it...

The next mornin', I followed my baby brotha around as he left his room. He was laughin' about somethin', lookin' around ta make sure no one saw him.

He was earlia than usual, everyone still asleep except Leonardo who was meditatin' in his room. That could only mean one thing.

A prank..

Mikey approached Leo's door quietly, it currently bein' shut. Da little chucklehead was carryin' a bucket, which he continued on ta fill with maple syrup.

I knew right away...this was goin' ta be bad... I jus' had ta see it! It was quite refreshin' when it wasn' happenin' ta me.

Mikey attached one end of a string around da bucket's handle an' da otha end on da doorknob. Then, Mikey placed da bucket on top of old Fearless' door so that when he opened it, maple syrup would fall all ova him.

I saw this happenin' one of two ways. One, Leonardo wouldn' fall for a trick like this. He'll know that da bucket is there, somehow avoid it an' lecture Mikey about growin' up. Two, he would instead let da bucket fall on him, allowin' Mikey ta have his victory because it might cheer him up.

When I saw the doorknob begin ta turn, I knew Fearless had chosen da second option.

Da hinged barria opened, da bucket fallin' as Leo stepped out, gettin' hit with da sticky substance. It first hit him in da face, pourin' down his skin an' onta his plastron an' shell.

I had ta admit...it was funny! I was laughin' my shell off!

I saw Mikey begin ta run away, Leo jus' standin' there smilin'. "Haha...good one, little brother." Leonardo said, wipin' his face off with da back of his hand. "I didn't see that one coming at all."

"Huh?" My baby brotha turns, facin' Leo with a look of disbelief. "You're not mad..?" He asks, soundin' a bit upset. Leave it ta Mikey ta be upset ova somethin' good..

"Why would I be mad? You got me...I should have been paying more attention. Normally, I would know that you tampered with the door."

"Raph would be mad.. He would chase me. When I ran away, Raph chased me and then started hitting me because I ruined his mask or now he would have to take a shower to get all of the syrup off." Mikey rambled. Oh no...I could see where this was goin' now. He was breakin'.

"Mikey...it's just syrup. It's okay for me to wash it off. I don't min-"

"Hit me!" Mikey shouts, surprisin' Leo with his outburst. "I need you to hit me.."

"Mikey, stop...I'm not going to hit you. You're suffering."

"I SAID HIT ME!" My baby brotha says again, louda this time. "R-Raph would attack me so I need you to be like him and attack me s-so it feels like he's still here! Please...hit me!"

Mikey brought his left hand up, coverin' his eyes with it as he began ta sob.

Leo carefully walks closa ta him, takin' Mikey inta an embrace.

Mikey welcomes da hug, clingin' onta my eldest brotha as he cries against him.

* * *

It has now been one whole month since Mikey stopped wearin' my mask. One month an' I am still here!

Reason bein', I didn' trust Mikey not ta do somethin' crazy.

At this point, things took a turn for da worst. Mikey was sleepin', with me floatin' ova his bed an' watchin' him like usual, when he began ta wake up, sayin' he jus' wanted ta sleep right now. That wasn' da only problem.

Next, Mikey sat up, sayin' my name as he glanced around da room. He wasn' lookin' at me.. No, he was lookin' in da corna an' for da first time in a long time, he looked genuinely happy.

I didn' want ta get in da way of that, but somethin' was wrong. He thought it was me! He literally thought this voice he made up in his head ta cope was me!

An' believe me...da things this imaginary voice were tellin' him ta do were things I would neva say even in my wildest dreams! It wanted him ta kill himself...an' Mikey had every intention of doin' so.

"Come on, Mikey, don' do it!" I told him, watchin' my baby brotha as he drew a pencil sharpena blade across his arm. God, he was cuttin' himself right in front of me! "Stop this, it's not what I want!"

That voice hasn' been talkin' ta him in quite some time, but I spoke too soon. It came back...an' it appeared ta me that today was da day.. Mikey had enough an' he was endin' his life..

I started ta panic. I didn' know what ta do anymore, but stickin' around Mikey wasn' helpin', so I began ta try da othas.

One afta anotha, my plans failed. I might have been able ta reach masta Splinta if he was meditatin', but he wasn' right now an' Don an' Leo still couldn' hear me!

Da time jus' ticked on by.. Actually, it seemed ta speed up, but that was probably because of me losin' my mind..

I followed Mikey as he walked back from da bathroom, holdin' Donatello's sleepin' pills in his hand. I couldn' believe he was goin' ta do this! My chucklehead of a brotha who was once happy an' full of life. It had ta be a bad dream!

"Don' do it, Mikey! Goddammit, please don' do it!" I shouted, chargin' at him an' reachin' for da pills, but like always, my hand went right through them.

I saw him begin ta take da pills, downin' a few at a time with a glass of water until da bottle was empty. He must have taken around forty an' for da first time since I died...I actually felt like jus' that... Dead... I had failed my baby brotha.

No...here I was feelin' sorry for myself for being a lousy brotha when Mikey was dyin' in front of me! I wasn' lettin' it happen.. So, with that last ounce of hope that I had...I went back ta Donnie, findin' da brainiac in his lab, workin' on one of his new inventions.

"Come on, Donnie! Mikey needs ya, bro!" I called out. No response. Nothin'. He seemed ta be laughin', probably about that prank Mikey pulled durin' dinna.

I tried again.

"Donnie, ya need ta listen ta me! Mikey took yer bottle of pills. He is dyin' right now an' needs ya ta go ta him!"

Still, nothin'...an' I was gettin' agitated. I growled loudly, goin' ova ta Donnie an' slammin' my fist down on his desk.

That did it... Wasn' much of a reaction, but it'll do. He looked confused an' then continued what he was doin'..but I accomplished somethin'! My fist actually made contact with a surface!

"Check da bathroom.." I whispered close ta his ear. He heard me that time, lookin' around da room. There's still a chance ta save Mikey now afta all!

"Check da bathroom...inside da cabinet.."

* * *

**To be continued!**

**I hope I didn't destroy all of your brain cells with Raphie's accent, but I had to use it. I love typing that way as him for some reason XD**

****The next chapter will be of Don getting inside Mikey's room and trying to save him.****

**Anyway, hope you liked it! REVIEW!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone~**

**Here is the forth and final chapter of this story. Yep, I am ending it in this one. Seems fitting. After completing this, all of my stories will actually be finished. With how stuck I used to be on "Who Is He Now?" I did not think that would ever happen XD**

**Like always, please review after you read~**

* * *

"Mikey!" The youngest turtle hears, someone pounding on the other end of his door. Mikey ignores it, the knob soon turning, but he had locked the hinged barrier, so it wont budge.

_"It won't be long now.."_ Raphael says, looming down at the other from above him.

"Yeah..." Michelangelo responds, his eyes slowly beginning to close. He is so tired...and sick to his stomach too, but that's to be expected. He can feel it. He's dying..his heartbeat getting slower and slower by the minute.

"We'll soon be together forever..."

* * *

"Raph, I can't get the door open! He locked it from the inside!" The purple clad turtle says to the real Raphael. The spirit floating right there beside him.

Donnie moves back, attempting to break the door down by slamming his shoulder against it. That does not work either.

"I'll get da door open..." Raph replies, flying straight through the hinged barrier.

'Concentrate.. Jus' Concentrate.' Raphael thinks. If he can focus, he can touch the doorknob just like he spoke to his smartest sibling.

A three-fingered hand comes down, drawing near the knob. Raph furrows his brow, his emerald green skin soon coming in contact with something. He did it!

Turning the knob and opening the door for Donatello, the brainiac rushes into the room, knowing he has to get Michelangelo to his lab and work fast if he wishes to save his life.

Without moments to spar, Donnie lifts the smaller turtle up into his arms, quickly carrying him out and heading to his sanctuary. "Please hang on, Mikey.." He says to his now unconscious little brother. "Don't die on us.."

When the purple clad turtle gets Mikey to his lab, he takes him to the infirmary section, carefully laying him out on one of the beds.

The youngest does not stir or make any noises at all. A bad sign.

The first thing Donnie does is pump Michelangelo's stomach.

Since Mikey is not responding, an endotracheal tube is inserted to protect his airways so he does not breathe any of the stomach contents into his lungs.

He places Mikey on his left side, his head lowered. Next, Donnie inserts a lubricated tube into Mikey's mouth, down passed his esophagus and into his stomach.

The contents of the stomach are now suctioned out through the tube, Donnie choosing to wash it out with lukewarm water after. He does this repeatedly..until the fluids that come out of his brother's stomach are clear.

Now...all Donatello can do is wait...and once Mikey wakes up, the smartest sibling plans on giving him activated charcoal. The charcoal should neutralize the effects of the drugs if there is any poison from them left in his system.

"Is it ova?" The spirit of Raphael asks, facing in the opposite direction of Michelangelo. "I can't stand watchin' dat stuff...neva could."

"Yeah, the tube is in. He's sleeping now. I'll remove it when he wakes up."

"Good luck with dat...ya might hafta sedate 'im."

"Or...since you can touch things now..maybe you could help hold him down.."

"...Crud..."

* * *

One hour passes before Michelangelo begins to awaken.

At this time, Leonardo and Splinter have joined Donatello and their deceased brother in the lab.

Mikey is so irritated that his family got in the way of his plans that he does not even see the spirit of his red clad sibling.

"Now I know you're probably wondering what's going on and I'll explain after I get the tubes out, okay?" Donatello says calmly, drawing closer to his little brother who only struggles, fighting against him.

"Could you guys give me a hand here?" Donnie asks, Leonardo responding first as he grips onto Mikey's right arm, holding him down. Raphael does the same on the opposite side.

Now that the youngest is restrained, Donnie gets to work. He gripes onto the tube that's in Mikey's stomach, slowly beginning to pull it up.

As the end of the tube gets near the top of the esophagus, the purple clad turtle pauses, allowing Mikey to relax for a moment before quickly getting the rest of it out.

This causes Mikey to have a gag reflex, but it is only temporary. Next, Donnie gets the endotracheal tube out as well, the one resting below Mikey's vocal chords.

The result is the same. He gags for a moment, salty tears building in the corners of his eyes.

Now that the tubes are out, Leonardo and Raphael allow Mikey to move. The youngest coughs, rubbing his throat. The gagging may be over, but the tears remain.

"Why did you save me?! You had no right! I didn't want to be saved!" Mikey shouts, a mixture of pain and anger in his big blue eyes.

"I was going where I belong! I need to die, it's the only way I can be with him!" The sea green turtle begins to cry now, the tears breaking free and falling down his face.

"He told me to do it..."

"I would neva tell ya ta kill yerself for me! Neva!" Raphael raises his voice, the youngest alert as he looks around, his eyes resting on Raphael.. The real Raphael..

"Raph...but you're..." Mikey pauses, looking over to the far side of the room. The other Raph is there...the one he created inside of his own head.

"There's two of you..."

"No, Mikey.." The spirit tells him, taking hold of his little brother's face between his hands, one on each cheek. "That...thing...it's not me.. I've been watchin' ya eva since I died..but I couldn' do anythin'. I was tryin' ta get ya ta hear me..but ya couldn'. Then..ya created dat thing...da fake me.. He's not really der, kid...he neva was.."

"He's not real..." Mikey says quietly, glancing back over at the Raphael on the far side of the room.

The form of it begins to lighten...until it is completely gone, out of sight.

Mikey blinks a few times, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind. He turns to the others, his eyes resting on each one of them at a time. "Donnie, Leo, Master Splinter...you guys can see this one too?"

The three of them nod and that's all of the assurance the youngest needs.

This one really is the real Raphael..

Mikey sits up and pulls the spirit of his brother into a hug, his tears starting to dry now.

"Raph..you don't know how happy I am to actually see you.. I've missed you so much." The smaller turtle says, breaking the hug and looking up at the other.

"Please say you can stay.."

"Ah, Mikey...I wish I could, kid.." Raphael replies with a sigh, shaking his head. "But I'm not alive anymore...so I can't jus' roam around with you guys foreva..but I can do one thing.."

"What?" Mikey inquires, looking at the other with a small glimmer of hope still left in his blue pools.

"I hafta cross ova...but wheneva yer lonely or scared an' ya need me, jus' call an' I promise I will come.."

Mikey nods in agreement. "Okay." He says, knowing he won't get an answer better than that.

After a lot of pestering from the brains in the family, Mikey agreed to take the activated charcoal and he promised he would never pull a crazy stunt like that again.

His brothers and father will probably be checking on him a lot through the next week, but that is to be expected.

* * *

After a week has past by, the family stands in the living room, all saying their goodbyes to Raphael as he gets ready to crossover to the other side.

It was hard for them at first, but the red clad turtle explained that he will always be there even when they cannot see him. He will be watching and protecting them from above.

"You better be good up there, Raph." Donatello says, giving his hot-headed brother a hug. "Wouldn't want you to get kicked out of heaven and put down below."

"Ah..dat wouldn't be so bad." Came Raph's reply. "After all, means I can beat up all of our enemies for all eternity. "

"Haha...sarcastic as always." Don says, giving his brother a playful noogie.

After the emerald green turtle finished saying goodbye, he left the others, crossing over. This time, Mikey did not cry. No, he'll hold his tears in for now..hanging on to the hope that this is not the end.

* * *

Later that night, while everyone was asleep, the youngest of the remaining siblings was tossing and turning, having a nightmare.

Raph had always been the one to come to him. He had some sort of radar, always seeming to know when Mikey was troubled with bad dreams.

The sea green turtle wakes with a start, covered in a cold sweat. He glances around the room, sighing when he thinks about his nightmare.

"Raph.." He says to himself. He hasn't had that dream for a while.. Raphael dying. He saw that night again.

"Right here, kid.." Mikey hears a gruff voice sound. There, by the side of his bed, is Raphael..smiling at him.

"I told ya I would be here."

"Raph!" Mikey exclaims, gripping onto the larger form and pulling him onto the bed as well.

He squeezes him so tightly that Raphael is sort of glad that he doesn't need to breathe anymore.

"Now we really can be together forever.." the sea green turtle says, his eyes glistening with tears of joy.

* * *

**The End!**

**I may write other stories later, but I'm not sure. Right now, I am in a ThunderCats 2011 phase. I really wish that show was not cancelled. I think it was really good. I'm not sure if I can write fanfiction of it, though. I'm not as knowledgeable of it like I am with TMNT.**

**Speaking of ThunderCats.. I created a petition to bring back the 2011 version. If you are a fan of the show, please sign it and tell your friends to sign it. Share the link all around. I would very much appreciate it. Heck, even if you're not a fan, please sign!**

**The link is posted on my profile in my About Me section.**


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